


Where There's Smoke

by writing_and_worrying



Category: Lunch Club, Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Not Really Character Death, Zombie Apocalypse, Zombies, based on my zapoc one go read that first, but like. dont worry, pre-fic minific
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-13
Updated: 2020-07-13
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:15:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25240726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writing_and_worrying/pseuds/writing_and_worrying
Summary: [read 'i still feel alive' for context]Schlatt is bored enough to watch the news again, and he doesn't like what he sees.It's time for a phone call.
Relationships: none ew
Comments: 6
Kudos: 47
Collections: smpzapoc au: electric boogaloo





	Where There's Smoke

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [I Still Feel Alive (when it's hopeless, I start to notice)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/23894506) by [writing_and_worrying](https://archiveofourown.org/users/writing_and_worrying/pseuds/writing_and_worrying). 



> Big Important Notes to start with:  
> \- please read my fic 'i still feel alive' for the context of this AU  
> \- i know this may cross a boundary somewhere, so if you have an issue with it, let me know  
> \- i don't wish any harm to come to the creators in the fic! i love them very much  
> \- check out the other works in this collection :D
> 
> anyway, with that out of the way, enjoy this little minific for my zapoc au. the events of this fic take place before the events of the main fic.

Schlatt wasn’t supposed to be watching the news. It made him anxious, and it’s not like there was much going on anymore. Still, he found himself sitting on the old chair in the apartment he was renting (emphasis on  _ was _ ) staring at the little screen on the wall, almost entranced by the droning voices and horrific images flashing into his eyes. 

His daily routine had shifted to include this, now. It would always start innocently, convincing himself that he’s just checking up on what’s happening in the world: how the virus is spreading, which states have gone silent, what the symptoms of infection are. But it inevitably morphed into something of an obsession. Hours spent just watching, waiting, unmoving and frozen. 

He knew it wasn’t helping, but what else could he do?

When the news reporter made the announcement, he thought he’d heard wrong. No, no, they couldn’t be doing  _ that _ —they’d never resort to that. He didn’t know who he meant by ‘they’, but it didn’t matter. It couldn’t be right. 

The TV spoke again:

_ ‘We are coming to you live from New York City. Firebombs will be dropped into the city at any moment. This is a last-minute decision from the United States Air Force—they have stated that the loss of human life is outweighed by the possibility of stopping the spread of the virus, and have ordered citizens of the city to stay inside.’ _

Video footage of New York City covered the screen, taken from what looked like a helicopter. Schlatt’s heart raced as he fumbled to turn on his phone and flipped through his contacts, frantic to find a certain name. He clicked the icon as soon as he saw it, waiting in tense silence while it rang.

Something clicked on the other end of the call. “Hello?” A small, breathless voice came from the phone. Schlatt’s hands shook as his eyes remained glued to the screen, watching as planes flew past the camera.

“Ty—are you—fucking shit man, where are you right now?” he said. He wasn’t sure why the kid was the first person he thought to call. He had other friends in the city, shit, he had family there, but he guessed Ty was as good to call as anyone. 

The boy was quiet for a moment. “New York.” Schlatt’s heart dropped. He felt sick.

“Kid—listen to me. I need you to listen right now, got it?” If something commanding was present in his voice, the stuttering overpowered it. Schlatt watched the TV turn to static for a second, then a notice at the side of the screen appeared. ‘10 second delay’. 

Over the phone, Ty hummed. “Okay.” God, he sounded exhausted. Schlatt wished there was something he could do, something he could say, to make everything okay. But there wasn’t. He couldn’t stop them bombing New York. All he could do was try to help.

“You need to get underground,” he said, conscious of the little time they had left, “it doesn’t matter where. Just get underground, away from—from everything.” His words came out jumbled and panicked as he watched more planes fly across the skyline he knew so well. The ten-second delay was present in the back of his mind, constantly reminding him he had even less time than it seemed.

Ty laughed. A dry, heartbreaking thing. “It’s too late for that now.” His voice buzzed over the phone, and he sounded younger than ever. No, no! Schlatt held back a sob.

“Ty.  _ Please _ .” His words went unanswered, and his eyes moved back to the TV, and he took in what he was seeing. A shout came from the phone, followed by a smashing sound and something  _ loud _ .

The line went dead.

…

His phone buzzed. A twitch notification. Ah.

**Author's Note:**

> woo! i hope you enjoyed (?) that! id just like to say DONT WORRY i have left the ending ambiguous for a reason. you may be seeing more Ty in the future... 
> 
> please don't forget to leave a comment and some kudos, and i hope you have a lovely day xoxo
> 
> \- Ren


End file.
